Members of a major trans-Pacific trade pact will discuss applications by China and Taiwan to join the group when they meet in Auckland - proposals that have deepened rancour among the neighbours and divided the opinions of member nations.
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The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is also expected to finalise Britain's membership at the gathering on Sunday.
CPTPP is a landmark trade pact agreed in 2018 between 11 countries - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.
"The CPTPP is an agreement of very high standards," Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong told reporters in Jakarta on Friday when asked about the upcoming meeting.
"All countries who are the original members of the CPTPP would expect those high standards to be able to be met by any country seeking to join."
China beat Taiwan to apply to join the group by less than a week in 2021, but both applications have been on hold while the UK application has been worked through.
"This is probably the first time there is going to be very serious engagement about what to do about the new applications," said Charles Finny, a former trade and foreign affairs diplomat for New Zealand who led the country's negotiations for a trade agreement with Taiwan.
"There is no consensus on that," he said.
Britain will become the 12th member to join the pact that cuts trade barriers, as it looks to deepen ties in the Pacific.
In support of its application, Britain has said CPTPP countries will have a combined GDP of Stg11 trillion ($A19.7 trillion) once it joins - 15 per cent of global GDP.
Ministers from the group are expected to discuss a range of topics including adding members.
It is uncertain that an agreement will be made.
Costa Rica, Uruguay, Ecuador and most recently Ukraine, have also applied to join the partnership.
China has opposed Taiwan's application and raised its own bid with the host nation during NZ Prime Minister Chris Hipkins' visit to China last month.
"At present, China is communicating and consulting with members in accordance with the procedure of joining the CPTPP," China's commerce ministry spokeswoman Shu Jueting told a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.
Some member countries support reviewing applications on a first come first served basis, which would put China first, while others want to focus on the best application.
"New Zealand and others were supporting applications being reviewed simultaneously albeit at potentially different speeds depending on their ability to meet the high standards, rather than as they came in," a source close to the matter told Reuters.
This would avoid having to pick China or Taiwan or ignore them both.
Australian Associated Press
